1. Field
This disclosure relates to medical waste collection with a handle of a hand held disposable medical instrument.
2. General
Properly discarding biological tissue during a surgical procedure is vital to the safety of the staff and the patient. Tissue is considered pathological waste, and after its disposal from the operating room it must be sterilized before it can be sent to a waste site. There is a significant possibility of transmission of infectious diseases if the tissue is simply thrown away in the garbage to decompose. Additionally, all scalpel blades used in the surgery to remove the tissue must be safely disposed of, and any used needles must be deposited into a sharps container.
All biohazard containers and bags must be sent to the sterilization department within the hospital to be either incinerated or autoclaved. States vary on regulations concerning the final disposal of pathological waste.
On a United States Federal level, the storage and management of medical waste is primarily regulated by OSHA. The OSHA regulations only apply to human blood, human infectious wastes, and human pathological wastes. Under OSHA: contaminated reusable sharps must be placed in containers that are: puncture resistant; labeled or color coded; and leakproof on the sides and bottom, reusable sharps that are contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials must not be stored or processed in a manner that requires employees to reach by hand into the containers, and specimens of blood or other potentially infectious material are required to be placed in a container that is labeled and color coded and closed prior to being stored, transported or shipped. Contaminated sharps must be placed in containers that are: closeable, puncture resistant, leakproof on sides and bottoms, and labeled or color coded. Regulated wastes (liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials and contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed, items that are caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and are capable of releasing these materials during handling, contaminated sharps, and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials) must be placed in containers that are: closeable, constructed to contain all contents and prevent leakage of fluids, labeled or color coded, and closed prior to removal. All bins, pails, cans, and similar receptacles intended for reuse, that have the likelihood of becoming contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials are required to be inspected and decontaminated on a regularly scheduled basis. Labels affixed to containers of regulated wastes, refrigerators and freezers containing blood or other potentially infectious materials, and other containers used to store, transport, or ship blood or other potentially infectious materials must: include the biohazard symbol, be fluorescent orange or orange-red or predominantly so, with lettering and symbols in contrasting color; and affixed as closely as possible to the container by adhesive or wire to prevent loss or removal. Citation at http://www.fedcenter.gov/assistance/facilitytour/solid/medical/.
One definition of Medical Waste is: Medical waste is all waste materials generated at health care facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, physician's offices, dental practices, blood banks, and veterinary hospitals/clinics, as well as medical research facilities and laboratories.
The Medical Waste tracking Act of 1988 defines medical waste as “any solid waste that is generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in the production or testing of biologicals.” This definition includes, but is not limited to:
blood-soaked bandages
culture dishes and other glassware
discarded surgical gloves
discarded surgical instruments
discarded needles used to give shots or draw blood (e.g., medical sharps)
cultures, stocks, swabs used to inoculate cultures
removed body organs (e.g., tonsils, appendices, limbs)
discarded lancets
Citation at http://www.epa.gov.